Industrial Worker

(Spokane, Seattle: 1909-1931)

Report by Chris Perry and Victoria Thorpe

Abstract:The Industrial Worker has been an official newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World for more than one hundred years. Published
first in Spokane, then in Seattle, it remained for more than two decades the voice of the IWW in the Pacific Northwest. In 1931, the newspaper moved to Chicago and continues from that location today.

Frequency: weekly except 1921-1925 when it was bi-weekly. 4 pages except for May Day editions of 8 pages.

Publisher: the local branch of The Industrial Workers of the World, with
the approval of the National Executive Committee.

Collection: University of Washington microfilm A4-A5.
Status: Incomplete. Issues between August 1913 and April 1916 are
missing. Also between July 1918-April 1919. (Since the publication of this essay, the first four years of the Industrial Worker have been digitized by Marty Goodman of the Riazanov Library Project and can be accessed online at marxists.org.)

The Industrial Worker was a four-page
newspaper published intermittently out of Seattle and Spokane between March 8,
1909 to November 21, 1931. It was, as was stated in later issues in the top
right corner, the official western organ of the I.W.W. It served as an outlet
for information regarding the radical movement in general and "wobbly"
affairs specifically as they affected the western U.S.

Industrial Worker contained local, state, national, and international
news about wobbly strikes and policy and the radical movement in general. About
sixty percent focused on news affecting the western states. In addition to news,
it contained songs, political cartoons, book reviews, job listings,
entertainment and fundraising events, advertisements (in the early days), and
notices (mostly personal and union position openings). The paper gives insight
into agendas and workings of the I.W.W. as well as providing a picture of
radical causes and the forerunners of today’s radical press such as Z
Magazine and Adbusters.

Publishers and Home Cities

In the first eleven years of the Industrial Worker’s publication, it
moved between Seattle and Spokane four times, even ending up in Everett for a
brief time. From March 18, 1909 to December 1,1909 and May 21, 1910 to August
21, 1913 it was stationed in Spokane. From December 15, 1909 to May 14, 1910;
April 1, 1916 to July 6, 1918; and July 16, 1919 to November 21, 1931 (when the Industrial
Worker moved permanently to the I.W.W. headquarters in Chicago until it’s
demise in 1975) it was published in Seattle. There are no records from August
21, 1913 to April 1, 1916. In addition to these, the paper was published for a
short time in Everett, from April 25 to July 9, 1919. One possible reason for
this movement could be the persecution of the wobblies in this period. In fact
that would explain why the paper ceased to be published for almost 3 years.

Not only did the place of publishing change often, but the editors were often
changing too, with long periods of no editors at all. The first editor that is
named in the paper is James Wilson (March 18, 1909-December 15, 1909). He then
turned the reigns over to F.R. Schleis (December 25, 1909-May 14, 1910). Next
Hartwell S. Shippley (May 21, 1910-Nov 9,1910) took up the project. Shippley
then passed the job to Fred W. Hulewood (November 17, 1910-January 25, 1912),
one of the only two editors to serve for longer than one year. When Hulewood
retired, Walker C. Smith (February 1, 1912-July 10, 1913) resumed as publisher
followed by John F. Leheney (July 17, 1913-July 24, 1913) who had the shortest
stint, being publisher for only two issues. Following three years of silence,
Thomas Whitehead (April 1, 1916-May 6,1916) appeared as publisher when the paper
resumed. The last named publisher, J.A. MacDonald (May 13, 1916-July 6, 1918),
served for almost two years. He may have served longer but after July 6, 1918,
there is no listing of the staff.

There are a few possible reasons for all this changing of staff. The first is
that during this early part of the I.W.W.’s history, there was an active
policy of repression enforced upon the wobblies by the government. The editors
may have been arrested and therefore unable to perform their duties. That would
explain the lack of staff detail after a certain point. They listing of staff
members would make it easy for the police to find members and arrest them.

A second possibility could have to do with the philosophy of the I.W.W. At
its heart, the I.W.W. was primarily and anarchist organization. The less
centralized and established the power of the editor was the better it would
reflect the organization. In all likelihood (if the paper was run like the I.W.W.
claimed to run) the editor would have had minimal power in the first place, with
all editorial decisions made by the collective staff. That would be the ideal
situation. Whether it was actually run that way would warrant further research
and interviews with the staff. If that was the case, then the editor would be
editor in name only and after a certain point, the paper would cease to need one
at all, corresponding to the papers cessation of naming the editors.

News

The news of the Industrial worker was about sixty percent devoted to the
western U.S. It contained accounts of strikes, local radical direct action and
activism, and other labor and political movements, including socialists and
communists, which they seemed to view in a somewhat affectionate light. There
was also national and international news about labor and radicalism. There were
editorials about wage slavery in China and Mexico next news about national labor
law and the I.W.W. as a whole.

In addition to the normal news there were a number of special issues. Every
year there was a May Day issue that took a step back and looked at the progress
of the labor movement and the future. There was a special supplement from March
9, 1918 to April 20, 1918 called the Lumberjack supplement, which was devoted to
labor as it related to people in the timber industry.

Advertisements

In its early years, the Industrial Worker carried many advertisements.
Most were for hotels, restaurants, bookstores, and clothiers primarily located
in the Seattle area. This seems to suggest that the paper was primarily
circulated in this area. Until the end of the 1913 collection usually half of
the fourth page of every issue is given over to ads like the following:

Queens Coffee House: "We feed more working men than any place in
town."

OK Loan Office: "Buy, Sell, Exchange."

Lodging Houses: "The place for workingmen."

Advertisements disappear n the 1920s, reflecting the changing pattern of
public opinion after the years of suppression. The I.W.W. had gone from being
publicly accepted to having to operate in a more underground manner. This would
mean that business would be less likely to want to be associated with the I.W.W
or the paper.

Job Listings

In addition to all the news, there was a section devoted to job news. This
was basically reports of working conditions and pay in local areas for use by
people looking for employment. The reports dripped with sarcasm and hints at an
adversarial relationship with management. An example of this appears in the
January 15, 1927 issue of the Industrial Worker:

Port Arthur, Ont., Canada—The slave market here has nothing only Pulp
wood rutting by the cord 8 ft. of wood $4.00 to $5.50 4 ft. $2.75 to $3.00.
So a fair warning should be given to the worker to steer away from this
vicinity, as there is no other work to be gotten and the town is overrun by
men. Quite a few are broke and steming is very poor.( Jan. 15, 1927).

Another report from the same issue gives some relative wages of the day:

Senic, Wash—Great Northern R.R. tunnel project is working full force,
with A. Guthrie and Company the contractors. The wages on this job are,
Miners, $6.40; Muckers, $4.80; Chucktenders, $5.20; and outside laborers,
$4.00 per day. Bedding is $0.05 per a day, and Hospital fee is $1 per a
month. The board is fair, but sleeping conditions are rotten.( Jan. 15,
1927).

Themes and strategies of The Industrial Worker:

1. Propaganda:

A radical, revolutionary paper, the Industrial Worker is characterized
throughout by distinct and blatant propaganda. As the voice of the IWW, or at
least the Washington branch , the paper aimed to further the development of one
big union through the recruitment of all workers. The reader is encouraged to
support strikes, to organize and to spread the word.

The first issue in particular relies heavily on propaganda rather than
reporting. "Dogs, Heaven and Paupers" illustrates the heavy use of
sarcasm. This article compares the life of a pet dog with one of the workingman.
The dog, unsurprisingly, is portrayed as having an easy life while the workers
have nothing. The bitterness is clear in the closing section of the article:
"Don’t organize industrially, (more than) one square meal per day would
kill you. Keep on working for nothing. Get married if you can and raise some
more slaves for the brothels and bread lines."

The front page also carries an article entitled "I Had a Dream",
another fictional account in which Samuel Gompers is depicted on the right hand
of the devil. The organization's antagonism toward the American Federation of
Labor is thus clear from the start. The propaganda can also be extremely subtle.
Whenever a worker is referred to, in any issue, the name is prefixed with
"fellow worker" thus enforcing the message of solidarity at every
opportunity.

Some of the cleverest examples of IWW propaganda are the slogans and mottos
that appear in all of the every issues until July 17, 1913.. The following is a
selection:

Labor produces all wealth

An injury to one is an injury to all

Labor is entitled to all it produces

One union, one label, one enemy

The poor have no right to the property of the employers? Then the
employers have no right to the labor of the poor

You can’t quit the class struggle until you die. Why not struggle to
some purpose

The employers have stolen their property. It belongs to the workers.
Organize and take it.

Solidarity is labors one weapon! Educate, Organize, Emancipate.

A scab is a traitor to his race and an enemy to himself.

You can make up your mind to one thing. As long as the boss can mislead
you with false glitter you wont have many dollars.

2. Solidarity

As the slogans above illustrate, solidarity, as the "one main
weapon" is a subject that is emphasized throughout. One of the most
striking aspects of the paper is its inclusiveness for all workingmen regardless
of craft or ethnicity. The AFL is frequently berated for its failure on both of
these issues. In the first issue of The Industrial Worker there are
articles in both Italian and German. Later issues carry articles in Polish and
French. On May 13 1909 the paper champions those of Japanese ethnicity, an
extremely unusual stance at this time. Readers are asked, "who’s robbed
you last; your boss or some Japanese?"…."Men may come and men may go
but the broad principal of working class unity will last after all other
theories have been forgotten. The class struggle is a fact. Are you struggling
to the best of your ability or are you trying to work yourself into the enemies
camp by betraying your fellow workers?"

Although the views on Japanese labor are the most remarkable in light of the
anti Japanese sentiment of the period, efforts made to make the paper accessible
to other recent immigrants are also significant. The IWW Press column lists
affiliated papers in foreign languages. A Bermunkas, (The Wage Worker,
Hungarian) Darbunuku Balas, (The Voice of the Worker, Lithuanian) Het
Licht, (The Light, Flemish) Il Proletari, (The Proletariate, Italian)
El Rebelde, (The Rebel, Spanish) Rabochaya Rrch. (Voice of Labor,
Russian) A Jewish Industrial Worker is also included on the list.

News from labor struggles around the rest of the country and also in Europe
is included frequently; increasing the sense of solidarity the Industrial
Worker’s authors sought to inspire. International labor news, known as
"Translated News," particularly from Russia and France, is a feature
that with few exceptions occupies roughly one third of page three from February
1, 1912 until the publication moves to Chicago at the beginning of 1930.
Articles such as "French Unionism: A Militant Power" and La Belle
France" are common through to the end of the 1913 editions while support
for Russia is strongest through the Russian Revolutionary period. On November
26, 1926 for example, it is reported, that Russians unions have sent British
mine workers $1, 250,000 to aid them in their strike.

The principal of aiding fellow workers in their action, (hence "an
injury to one is an injury to all") can also be seen through requests in
the paper for financial aid to strikers and also requests that strikers stay
away from areas where industrial action is taking place. In the July 15, 1916
issue, a strike by IWW miners against the U.S. Steel Trust, in Illinois, is
referred to as a "Declaration of War." Members are asked for donations
and reminded that: " This is your fight. You must raise money for food,
clothing shelter and organizational work." Above the Title Industrial
Worker on June 20, 1912, the headline reads: "Do not ship to the Canadian
northern, or to White Salem, Washington. Big Strikes on."

3. Religion.

In the first issue, March 18, 1909, evangelist Billy Sunday is berated on the
grounds that he asks for money from those who don’t have it, i.e. the workers.
The Reverend W. B. Bull is criticized on page three of the same issue and called
a dangerous man. More anti religious sentiment is displayed on May 13, 1909 when
the priests are accused of "upholding the justice of legalized murder….The
delusion of patriotism and the deceit of the priests and the preachers serve to
cause race hatred and to divide the workers…" Although the issue of
religion is not a major topic of the paper, it is generally portrayed
negatively. A cartoon on the front page of February 12, 1927 issue depicts a
graveyard with angel wings above and a question mark where the body of the angel
would normally be. The inference being that an afterlife is doubtful. At times
the newspaper will caution that talking about religion divides workers, as it
did on July 9, 1909: " questions of religion, of race, of color, of
nationality are…firebrand scum among the workers to keep them from fighting
the bosses.." But headlines like "The Priest aids the Boss"
revealed the core sentiments of the the writers who produced The Industrial
Worker.

Major Stories

1. Spokane Free Speech Fight.

This protest involved members of the union violating a city ordinance, which
forbid speaking on street corners, many members chained themselves to lampposts
and recited the declaration of Independence. Hundreds of union members were
jailed while the Industrial Worker encouraged those who could to come to
Spokane to join them. The dispute lasted from November 1909 until late March,
1910. Although the dispute was officially ended when the Washington legislature
resolved to legislate against the practices of employment sharks, men remained
in jail. The Industrial Worker called readers attention to this by pasting
updates along the top of the first page. During the dispute, the free speech
fight made the front page, every week from November 10, 1909 until March 12,
1910. The issue continued in prominence as key members were convicted on June
29, 1910.

2. Ettor and Giovannitti,

Articles begin, June 20, 1912.:
"If Ettor and Giovannitti are to die then twenty
million working men will know the reason why."
"Their only crime is championing the working class."
"IWW on trial, not Ettor and Giovannitti."

3. Lumberjack strike.

Conducted by the IWW. The Industrial Worker calls this "their
most successful strike in history" until America’s entry into World War
One. Coverage in the newspaper appears from July 28, 1917. From March 9, 1918
until April 1920 a Lumberjack supplement was issued in accompaniment to the
paper. The surviving copies are in poor condition however. Only the issue
printed on April 27, 1918 is complete.

4. Everett Massacre,

November 11, 1916, November 18, 1916( includes graphic photographs on the
front page.) The incident began with a Free Speech fight conducted by the IWW.
As supporters sailed to Everett from Seattle they were met on the docks by armed
police. Five workers and two policemen were killed, while a total of fifty men
were wounded. Although the workers were acquitted, this was the last major free
speech fight in the Pacific Northwest at least.

5. Sacco and Vanzetti

Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were arrested outside Boston in 1920 and
charged with robbing and killing a shoe factory paymaster and his guard. Though
a prosecutor insisted they would be tried for murder and "nothing
else," their radical politics remained a focus of the 1921 trial. Judge
Webster Thayer, whose bias against the two men surfaced repeatedly, denied the
first motion for a new trial in October 1924. In the years that followed he
would deny five other motions. In late 1925, new evidence surfaced that gave the
Sacco-Vanzetti defense new grounds for an appeal: a convicted murderer told
Sacco he committed the South Braintree murders. But Thayer again denied the
motion for a new trial, finding that the confession was untruthful. The battle
to save Sacco and Vanzetti ended when they were executed in the electric chair
on August 23, 1927.

In the months leading up to the execution, every issue of the Industrial
Worker contained an update on the two including calls for strikes,
editorials on the trials and the authorities involved, and even comments by the
convicted anarchists. One of the most moving pieces is a poem by the two, called
"Last Will":

Prologue:
We, Sacco and Vanzetti, sound of body and mind,
Devise and bequeath to all we leave behind,
The worldly wealth we inherited at our birth,
Each one to share alike as we leave this earth.

To Wit:
To babies we will their mothers’ love,
To youngsters we will the sun above.
To spooners who wont to tryst the night,
We give the moon and stars that shine so bright.
To thrill them in their hours of joy,
When boy hugs maid and maid hugs boy.
To nature’s creatures we allot the spring and summer,
To the doe, the bear, the gold-finch and the hummer.
To the fishes we ascribe the deep blue sea,
The honey we apportion to the bustling bee.
To the pessimist—good cheer—his mind to sooth,
To the chronic liar we donate the solemn truth.

And Lastly:

To those who judge solely seeking renown,
With blaring trumpets of the fakir and clown;
To the prosecutor, persecutor, and other human hounds,
Who’d barter another’s honor, recognizing no bounds,
To the Governor, the Jury, who another’s life they’d sell—
We endow them with the fiery depths of HELL!(Indust. Wrkr., Aug. 20, 1927)

In the issue after the execution there was a full page memorial to the two
fallen martyrs. It contained a final editorial on the trial and the last message
written by Vanzetti.

Editors and Contributors

Frederick W. Heselwood: Editor in November 1910, remained as such for two
years. Contributed numerous articles before his appointment and continues to
be mentioned until September 13, 1919. From May 20, 1909 also served on the
Executive Board.

E. D. Hammond. Contributes ideological articles through 1909- 1912.

E. Cousins, C. L. Filigno, James P. Wilson, E. J. Foote, were all arrested
as leaders in the Spokane Free Speech Fight. Documented on November 19, 1909.
Cousins served as assistant editor to Wilson. While Filigno continues to
contribute until 1913.

Covington Hall. Author of "Why I am a Socialist" published on
February 5, 1910, also publishes songs, April 29, 1916.

W. Z. Foster. His letters from Europe, mainly France are featured through
1910- 1912. He was convinced by workers in France of the infeasibility of dual
unionism along the IWW model. Instead he came to believe that the right tactic
for the IWW was to re-join the A.F. of L. and convert it from within. Later,
working with the A.F. of L., he organized the packinghouse workers of Chicago
and the steel workers. He led the steel strike of 1919.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: One of the most famous of the Industrial Workers
contributor, Flynn is popularly known as "rebel girl". As a woman,
she was most unusual in the movement. She is cited in Mildred Tanner Andrews
book, Washington Women as Path Breakers and contributes numerous articles to
the paper prior to 1913. Flynn’s parents were members of the Socialist
Party, she became involved in the IWW around 1905, a year after she left
school. November 10, 1909, Flynn argues for the Spokane free speech fight.
June 1, 1911, Women in Industry should Organize. August 5, 1909, selections
from her lecture tour. Flynn was also arrested in the Spokane fights. She was
tried with Frederick Heselwood, February 26, 1910.

Funding

Little information is detailed on funding or circulation of the Industrial
Worker. Subscriptions are offered for six months or one year. By May 30, 1925
the cost of one years subscription is $4, however this is reduced June 6, 1925
due to falling circulation. Although little information is given on the funding
of the paper, the May 24 issue, 1924 indicates that the circulation has
slackened. An appeal is lodged to the membership to increase the circulation or
" serious loss to power will be felt." The article notes a change
since the previous year. "Less than a year ago, IW has been bearing
the larger part of the cost of the Equity Printing Company. Today- and for the
last few months, it has been the other way around."

A year later, on May 30, 1925, the subscription cost halved as the
Industrial Worker shifted from a bi-weekly to weekly publication schedule.
Since April 23, 1921 the paper had been issued twice per week., the intention
was announced to reduce output to once per week. Widespread unemployment was
blamed and it appears that the paper owed its survival to donations. Over the
previous four months Seattle branches of the IWW contributed $2000 while other
branches put forward almost $1000.

Appendix A

Contents of the Industrial Worker microfilm file A4, A5.

A4: March 18, 1909- February 10, 1910

February 10, 1910- August 1913

A5: April 1916- July 1918

April 1919- July 1919

July 1919- April 1921

April 1921- April 1924

April 1924- December 1926

January 1927- December 1929

Click to enlarge

(Aug 13, 1927)

(October 7, 1909, p.4)

The Industrial Worker, the official newspaper of
the Industrial Workers of the World in the West, outlined the IWWs
radical vision with slogans like "The working class and the employing
class have nothing in common," and the popular "An Injury to One is an
Injury to All." Additionally, the paper reported on many
progressive issues and events important to workers and radicals.

Organizing the Bindle Stiffs

(Sept. 23, 1909, p.2)

(April 23, 1910, p.1)

Unlike the conservative AFL, the IWW reached out to the
thousands of unskilled transients who worked in the seasonal industries
in the West. Without permanent homes, these men who rode the rails
and tramped were known by many different names: harvest hands, bindle
stiffs, hobos.
For a mere two dollars, any worker, regardless of skill level, vocation,
or race could join the IWW.

Propaganda

(Sept. 23, 1916, p.1)

(Jan. 8, 1910, p.1)

(June 3, 1909, p.1)

The Industrial Worker did not just rely on news
articles to spread its revolutionary message. Songs, cartoons,
fiction, and poems also filled its pages, arguing that the revolution
was near.

Solidarity

(April 29, 1909, p.4)

The IWW was ahead of its time in terms of race
relations. Wobblies believed that racial divisions only detracted
workers
from the revolutionary struggle. Instead of fighting each other
over questions or race, IWW leadership argued, workers should be
fighting the bosses. Above: the IWW preamble in Japanese. Below: an
article on race prejudice.

(April 22, 1909, p.2)

Spokane Free Speech Fight

(January 8, 1910, p.3)

(November 10, 1909, p.1)

When Spokane city authorities prohibited IWW members from
publicly speaking out against the employment sharks, the call went out
over the Industrial Worker for Wobblies to come and flood the
city. In a matter of weeks, thousands of Wobblies filled the
streets and jails of Spokane. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a leader in
the IWW and one of its most well known members, was only 19
years old when she led the Spokane Free Speech Fight.

Everett Massacre

(November 18, 1916, p.1)

When a group of Wobblies, traveling by boat, went to
Everett to aid in a free speech fight, they were met by the police and
vigilantes. Five IWW members were killed in a shootout.
Here, the Industrial Worker published pictures of their corpses,
although the editors reminded their readership: "Don't mourn, organize!"

The Timberbeasts

(April 27, 1918, supplement)

(July 28, 1917, p.1)

In the logging industry, where working conditions were
dangerous, living conditions detestable, and wages poor, the IWW found
some of its most ardent, radical, and dedicated members. Some of
the IWWs largest, and most successful strikes occurred in the logging
industry.

Sacco and Vanzetti

(July2, 1927, p.1)

(August 20, 1927, p.1)

Although not IWW members, the editors of the
Industrial Worker reported frequently on the Sacco and Vanzetti
case, calling for strikes and boycotts in the weeks leading up to their
execution.